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AMERICAN RIVER CONFLUENCE STUDY

The El Dorado County Transportation Commission (EDCTC) in partnership with the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) has commissioned a multimodal corridor plan for State Route (SR) 49 connecting the City of Auburn in Placer County to the unincorporated community of Cool in El Dorado County. The corridor is approximately seven miles in length and extends from the intersection at High Street in Auburn to the juncture of SR 193 in Cool. There are four intersections, a number of turnouts and side street access roadways within these limits that provide access to SR 49 for residential, non-residential, and recreational uses. The two endpoint intersections within the study area are signalized, at Lincoln/Borland Way in the City of Auburn and at the juncture of SR 193/SR 49 in Cool. The remaining intersections are two-way stop controlled where motorists traveling on SR 49 do not have to stop. There are numerous speed advisories ranging from 25 mph to 35 mph at roadway curvature areas.

Generally, the SR 49 corridor reflects the following characteristics:

A lack of pedestrian treatments and/or accommodations along SR 49;
Insufficient of parking accommodations – particularly just east of Tall Green Bridge and the Calcutta Falls Trail Head;
Absence of of transit/shuttle services;
A need for improved crossings for those who desire to walk across SR 49;
A lack of pedestrian connectivity to points of interest along the corridor (i.e., trail heads), and
Daily presence of heavy-duty trucks

Finding effective solutions to the parking and access issues within the corridor requires active community support—a challenge given the range of user groups, including locals, commuters, recreationists who use the corridor. However, the greatest obstacle facing El Dorado County Transportation Commission is procuring future funding to implement the recommended improvements once the study has been completed. Both federal and state transportation funding is currently driven by performance-based return-on-investment.

These criteria and dollars are heavily influenced by federal/state objectives related to air quality/climate
change as well as environmental justice and social equity. To be competitive when procuring limited discretionary transportation funding the SR 49 American River Confluence Study must document how the recommended capital improvements address these important objectives/initiatives.